Owning a car is still an expensive affair in Nepal. According to the data published by National Population and Housing Census 2021, only about 3.1% of Nepali households own a four-wheeler (204,990 out of 6,660,841). The vast majority of Nepalese still own two-wheelers – about 27.3% own a two-wheeler (1,816,121 out of 6,660,841). Meanwhile, about 35.2% (2,347,433  out of 6,660,841) own a bicycle.

The findings of the census, conducted among 6,660,841 families, or households, were released on March 24, 2023. It was carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

In terms of the ecological belt, the percentage of car/jeep/van is the highest in the Hilly belt (60.83%) while the percentage of two-wheeler is the highest in the Terai belt (60.10%). Similarly, in terms of provincial structure, Bagmati province has the highest number of four-wheelers (48.71%) while Karnali province has the lowest percentage (1.48%). Likewise, on the two-wheelers front (motorcycle/scooter), Bagmati province holds the highest percentage (30.87%) while Karnali province has the lowest (1.34%).

Moreover, in terms of districts, Kathmandu has the highest percentage of four-wheelers (26.96%) followed by Lalitpur (7.57%) and Kaski (5.72%). At 0.007%, Dolpa has the least percentage of four-wheelers. Furthermore, in the two-wheelers category (motorcycle/scooter), Kathmandu has the highest percentage of two-wheelers (14.48%) followed by Rupandehi (5.62%). At 0.001%, Humla has the least number of two-wheelers.

In 2011, when the 11th National Census was conducted, about 1.57% of families owned cars. Nearly 9.58% owned two-wheelers. Similarly, 32.38% owned a bicycle.

The increase in the number of car owners in the country has been slow when compared to other developing countries. When you take into account government taxes, loan interest rates, fuel, maintenance and fees, the cost of owning a car is still a herculean task in Nepal.